The Unknown Nightmare/Episode 35
"The Day Before" is the thirteenth episode of the third season of The Unknown Nightmare and the sixth and final episode of the second half of the season. Plot Synopsis A look back into the lives of some of the characters. Plot Flashback: Rachel (Motel Room: The Day Before She Met the Group) Rachel's eyes opened, her neck felt stiff as she lifted herself up. She was on a bed in what looked like a motel room. She looked at the telephone, grabbing it and dialling 911. The line disconnected straight away. She began to panic, standing up and running for the door. It opened, but she was greeted by one of the undead. She screamed, noticing the decayed skin on it. She fell backwards, as it fell on top of her. It grabbed her, trying to bite her neck. She grabbed a wire, pulling down a lamp. She swung the lamp at its head, knocking it to the side. She started to run, but it was too quick, grabbing onto her leg. Suddenly, there was a gunshot, a quiet one. It seemed far away, but when she looked up, it was right at the door. She looked behind her, seeing the dead body on the ground. The man with the gun stretched out his hand, and she grabbed it, lifting herself up. "What was that thing?" she asked. "I dunno", he said, "I just woke up next door". "Who are you?" Rachel asked. "Jesse", he said. "I'm Rachel", she said, "Where are we?" "Not sure", he sighed, looking outside, "I woke up, saw this gun on the dresser. It had a note on it. It said, Say you got it off a cop". He walked outside, they were on the second floor. It looked like the place was abandoned. "We need to call the police", she said. "To be honest, I don't think there is any police", Jesse said. She began to cry, thinking about her family. She had left the behind, wherever they were. "You got a family?" Jesse asked. "Yeah", she muttered. Jesse sighed, "Well... most likely, they're dead". "What makes you say that?" she asked, shocked by what he said. "The note also said that everyone we know is gone", he explained. She sat down on the bed. Jesse turned to her, "We should get moving". "And go where?" she asked, tears in her eyes. "We'll find something", he said. ---- Flashback: Jesse (Classroom: The Day Before the Outbreak) "Class dismissed", Jesse said to his class, as they walked out of the room. He wasn't the best teacher, but he made sure that the kids liked him. When he was younger, he hated all of his teachers, he wanted to change that this time. He was left alone in the room, and cleaned off the whiteboard. He packed up his things, leaving the classroom. Through the halls, the same thing every day. The students would walk by him, going on with their day. Their lives were more interesting. He sat in his car, his day over. Time to go back to his house, maybe stop by some food place. He wasn't in the mood for cooking. As he sat in his car, he watched the students walking to their own cars. Some in big, black SUVs, others in BMWs. Rich kids, they always pissed him off. Even with his teacher's salary, he still had a crappy little Ford. He looked across the parking lot, seeing a big circle of students. He got out of his car, walking towards the circle. They were cheering, something was definitely going on. He pushed himself through the crowd, eventually coming to two guys. One was much shorter, skinnier than the other. He was held up by his shirt, obviously the other guy was a bully. This is what pissed Jesse off more than the rich kids. Jesse grabbed the bully's arm, as he let his victim fall to the floor. "Principal's office... now!" Jesse said to him. The bully scoffed, walking towards the school. Jesse looked at the other students. He felt as if they all deserved to be punished, but they didn't do anything. After another hour in the school, he was back in his car, sitting alone in the parking lot. He closed his eyes, letting out a big sigh. He felt a sharp pain in his neck, almost like a needle. That was the last thing he saw for four days. ---- Flashback: Rachel and Jesse (Motel Room: The Day Before Sean Met the Group) They walked through the forest, feeling tired. Jesse felt like giving up, but knew that Rachel felt the same thing too. It would be better if he just kept going. "So... tell me about your family", Jesse said. At first she felt reluctant, but given the circumstances, Jesse couldn't come after her family anyway. "My husband's name is-" she hesitated after saying that, but continued anyway, "His name is Charlie. He used to be a structural engineer". "That's impressive", Jesse said. "It was... until he got fired", Rachel said. "What did he do?" Jesse asked. "Nothing... the company didn't have enough money for everyone", she said. Jesse nodded, "Any kids?" "A daughter... Emily", she said. "How old is she?" Jesse asked. "She's about to turn seven", she said, a faint smile quickly faded. They heard something in front of them. They ran through the woods, eventually coming through bushes into an open space, at the end of a dirt road. There was a man on the ground, one of the undead on top of him. Jesse gestured for Rachel to hide in the bushes, and she did so. Jesse saw a rifle a few feet away from him, seeing him reaching for him. Jesse aimed his gun at the undead person, pulling the trigger. The body fell on top of the man, and he pushed it off of himself. The man stood up, aiming his gun at Jesse. "Who are you?" Jim asked. "Put the gun down, I'm not dangerous", the stranger said, lowering his pistol. Jim kept his up, "You didn't answer my question". "My name is Jesse, and this is Rachel", Jesse said, as a woman walked out from the bushes. "Thanks for saving my life, but we can't take in anymore", Jim said. "Look, we can help out. We aren't dangerous", Rachel said. "To be honest with ya, I'm having a hard time right now deciding who's dangerous or not", Jim said. "We could have kept going, but we didn't. Don't tell me I wasted a bullet", Jesse said. Jim thought about it, "Where'd you get that gun?" "Off a cop. He was... well, undead", Jesse said. "Cops don't usually have silencers on guns", Jim protested. "Well... This one did", Jesse said. ---- Flashback: Jason (Mall: The Day Before the Outbreak) Jason circled the inside of the mall. His hands on his belt. A security guard, nothing major, and nothing like what he had hoped to be. He always wanted to be in the military, flying jets like his father did. But here he was... in a mall. Out of the year and a half of him working there, only two crimes happened. One, an old woman accidently taking a stolen purse out of the mall, and two, teenagers hanging around in front of stores. He couldn't be more bored. The best part about it was that he got a gun. It was unusual to have a gun in this job, but it made him feel manlier. He walked by the main door, catching a small bit of fresh air. He looked out the glass door, looking into the parking lot, hoping something exciting would happen. But, nothing. This would continue until the next day. The day he met Anya, when they walked around, looking for a safe place to go. It took them until day 3 to find the group, Jason's "mall cop" skills keeping them alive. ---- Flashback: Gordon, Ava and Molly (Unknown Location: The Day Before the Event: Just Before Midnight) Gordon woke up, sitting in a seat. He looked around, noticing he was in a plane. He looked next to him, seeing a woman. The plane was moving, and he didn't know where he was. He took off his belt, standing up. The woman next to him woke up. Gordon walked out to the aisle, but somebody stopped him, putting a hand on his chest. He looked back, seeing a man dressed in a military uniform. "Sit down, sir", the man in the military uniform said. "Excuse me?" Gordon asked, "Where am I?" "Sit down, and we'll explain", he said. "I'm not sitting down", Gordon said. "If you don't, you die", the man said. He had a gun pointed at Gordon, who then went back to his seat. As everyone woke up, they all started making a fuss. Gordon looked out the window, seeing that it was night time. "Everybody", the man in the military uniform called out, "Settle down. Anybody moves, you die. Now... we're bringing you to a safe place. That's all we will tell you until we get there". Everyone started shouting at the man, who raised his gun. They all stopped talking, as the man walked past a curtain at the back of the plane. Gordon noticed the woman next to him panicking. "You okay?" he asked. "Not really", she said, "I just... hate planes. And since I have no say in what happens, it makes it ten times worse". "Well, most likely they're bringing us to a safe place. They aren't gonna hurt us. This plane ain't gonna crash, they'll be a lot safer while flying it". The woman started laughing, "That's the most bullshit thing I've ever heard". The plane started getting faster, causing the woman to grab onto the arm-rest. When the plane finally took off, she still held on. "So, what's your name?" Gordon asked. "Ava", she said, "Yours?" "Gordon", he said, "You can let go now". She let go, doing her best to relax. "So, what was the last thing you remember?" he asked. "I was in my apartment... asleep", she said, "That was it". "Me too, except I was in a house", Gordon said. "It was the same for me too", a woman across the row said. Gordon and Ava looked at her. "I'm Molly", she said. "Gordon", Gordon said. Ava sighed, forgetting about being on the plane, "Ava". Eventually, the conversation went around the plane until everyone on board was talking. They all stopped when the pilot started speaking through the intercom. "This is your captain speaking", he said, "We appear to be heading into some major turbulence, please be patient as we make it through". They all waited, and eventually, the turbulence kicked in. It was intense, but it didn't stop. The plane started beeping, oxygen masks came down... as did the plane. ---- Flashback: Ethan ''(''Warehouse: The Day Before Killing Sean's Wife) Ethan sat on a seat, next to his cousin, behind a desk. His cousin was a drug lord, harsh but trustable. They had a meeting, the first of the day. A man, short, blond hair. His name was Jack. He walked up, pale, sweating. He walked up to them, passing the cousin's bodyguards. He kept his head low, cautious of where he was. Ethan's cousin sold his drugs a strange way. Instead of having his people go out, selling as much as they could, he had his customers come to him. Different location every time. Jack made it to them, waiting to be spoken to first. "You bring the money?" the other man at the desk asked. He was Lilly's brother. It was his only way of getting money, taking care of her took up most of his education, but he'd read her books, making sure he knew what every answer was before her. Jack placed the bag of money on the table, and Lilly's brother took it, handing him one bag of heroin. "That's it?" Jack asked. "That's it", Lilly's brother said. "There's enough money for at least six bags", Jack protested. Ethan's cousin stood up, staring Jack in the eye. Jack backed away, leaving it be. The second of the day, a woman, late 30s, married. Joe's wife. She never seemed nervous, always just came in and took her fix. Cocaine, their third most popular product, behind heroin and meth. She left the warehouse, they were taking in a lot of money, but the money had to go around to everyone working there. The third customer of the day, except this guy wasn't a customer. He walked down to the table, so calm, so focused. His name was Joe. He stopped in front of them, waiting for them to speak. "Selling or buying?" Lilly's brother asked. "Buying..." Joe said. "What you need?" "A hitman", Joe said. "Wrong place bro". "No... it's the right place", Joe said. Ethan's cousin stood up, "Depends on who, where, when, why and how". "I'll speak personally to the hitman", Joe said. Ethan's cousin seemed angry at first, but began to laugh. He grabbed Ethan's arm, standing him up. "You make sure this guy gets what he wants, you hear?" "You know I don't do that", Ethan said. "Just fuckin' do it", Lilly's brother said. Ethan hated him, always trying to get out of the dangerous stuff. Ethan followed Joe outside, waiting to hear his circumstances. Ethan's cousin turned to Lilly's brother, "We need to change how we do business, it's gonna get dangerous". They were outside, alone. "So what do you want?" Ethan asked. "There are two things I need", Joe said, "One, a certain person dead. Two, any random person dead". "What do you mean?" Ethan asked. "There's this woman", Joe said, "I need her dead. Don't care how, but it has to be tomorrow night. You make sure you're seen. You make sure... you're caught. They'll have no evidence, they'll let you go". "It doesn't work like that". "Do it or everyone in that warehouse dies", Joe said. "What about the second thing?" Ethan asked. "We need to set somebody up", Joe said, "We just need to make sure he goes on the run before I do it". "Do what?" Ethan asked. Joe smiled, "Change the world. But you need a random dead guy". Ethan already had somebody in mind, somebody he hated. Lilly's brother. ---- Flashback: Frank (Campsite: The Day Before Finding Jim and Dave) He sat at the edge of camp. Nine of them, so easy to kill. He watched them struggle for two days, it was too stressful. The children cried, the adults tried to stay calm, but there was no point. Everyone would die one day, and everyone would become a killer. But... maybe he could change that, keep them from murdering others. After seeing his friends and family die, he began thinking differently. It was as if everything became clearer, but everything became blurry. They were all asleep, oblivious to what he was about to do. They had found him in a church. He wasn't a believer, but where else would he go? He took out his knife, walking to his first victim. He stuck it in the side of the man's head, the softest part of the head. He went to the next victim, doing the exact same thing. He kept killing and killing until there were two left. His second last victim, a woman, lying next to her child. He stared at them for a moment, almost regretting everything he had done. But it was too late now, he might as well keep going. He stuck the knife into her neck, watching her struggle for a second before dying. The child stayed asleep. Eight years old, a boy. Frank heard growls behind him, knowing that there was one of them behind him. He stood up, keeping his back to it. He walked forward, over the sleeping child. The undead person collapsed to the ground on top of the child. He woke up, screaming. He never saw his mother's body, eaten before he had the chance. Frank kept walking, leaving his camp behind. ---- Flashback: Xander (Joe's Town: The Day Before Sean Was Captured) "You think he would do it?" Xander asked. "Doesn't matter", Joe said, "He'll be taken out. He won't be a problem anymore. He's done his part". "What happens when I'm done my part?" Xander asked. They were in Joe's office, talking about Sean and the event. "His test was over for a long time", Joe said, "Relax... when yours is over, you can live". "About that", Xander said, "Can I stop?" Joe turned to him, "You know what happens when you try and fight it". "But those people don't deserve it", Xander said, "I mean, for once in my life I actually care about others... Why do they deserve it?" "Not all of them do", Joe said, "But does your family?" Xander felt tense, "You need to understand... I have nothing to do with them anymore". "Of course you don't", Joe said, "Now get back to work". ---- Flashback: Henry (His House: The Day Before the Group Arrived) His wife vomited from the bed, into a bucket. He sat next to her, laying her back on the bed. He put a cold, wet cloth on her head. She was close to the end, she knew it, and Henry knew it. He looked at the bite mark on her arm, she was caught by one of them that morning. She felt pins and needles all over her body. She felt cold but was sweating. She was nauseated, and couldn't speak. Henry stayed with her all day, putting off having to kill her. It was night time, Henry woke up from the chair next to the bed. He was holding her hand. He looked up, seeing her eyes closed. He had hoped she was asleep, but when he looked closer, he knew. She died. Her body was cold, it was almost unbelievable. Only an hour or two beforehand she was alive and now... He had the gun at the ready. It was there since the outbreak, but so far he hadn't used it. Her eyes opened, he was surprised, almost happy. He thought she was alive, and that she was asleep the whole time. But her eyes were yellow, and she raised her hand to his neck. Her mouth opened, ready to bite. But there was a loud bang, and she dropped on the bed. Henry began to cry, the gun in his hand. He dropped it on the floor, putting his hands to his head. The next day, she was under the ground. He felt like saying a prayer, but why would God or whoever take her anyway. What did she do? He went back in the house after spending the whole day out there. It was night time, and it was quiet. He sat in his living room, holding the gun in his hand. He knew what he was doing, there wasn't any life without her. He held it to his head, breathing rapidly. He pulled the trigger, but it clicked. "Anyone in there?" somebody from outside said. Henry ignored it, focusing on what he was about to do. The door was banging, being kicked down by the stranger. Henry loaded the gun, again holding it up to his head. "Hey! Please let us in", Dave shouted. "Get the hell away from my house!" Henry said. "Look, please. We can help you. We aren't bad people", Dave said. "You ain't the first people who said that", Henry said, remembering the people on the news after the outbreak. There were gunshots, as the group outside started shooting the undead. "Look, we don't mean any harm. Just let us in and we'll be gone by morning", Dave pleaded. "Shut up, and please leave", Henry said. Dave started shooting the walkers around them. Henry heard a scream outside, knowing that one of them was bit. He knew that whoever it was wouldn't live, but what would his wife think, leaving people out there to die. "Open the fucking door!" Jesse shouted. They ran to the door and started banging on it. "Come on, man!" Jason said, "You can't do this". He stood up, slowly walking to the door. He opened it. "Get in!" Henry commanded. ---- Flashback: Johnston, Hawkins and Joe (Southfalls: The Day Before the Outbreak) "This is where you will be for the foreseeable future", Joe shouted at the civilians. He and his people, around thirty to forty men, all armed, forcing these people into Southfalls. "Give us a reason", Johnston shouted, standing in the front of the crowd. "Because you'll be safer here... If you leave today, and go back to your town, you'll be dead in a day". Johnston stood back, these people were dangerous, what was weirder was that they built this whole place, and nobody noticed. "I'll be back tomorrow", Joe said, "The building to my left can't be occupied, but the building to my right is for the mayor and the mayor only". Joe walked over to the mayor, "You do as I say, you all live". "What about food, utilities?" Johnston asked. "They are already provided", Joe said, "You'll need security, I'll be willing to give you a couple men, but you need more. What's about to come, it'll blow your mind". Hawkins stepped forward, "I'll help out". A few others stepped forward too, but the town were still weary. Joe smiled, looking down at the town, seeing what he created. "This is your home", Joe said to the town. He walked to the vehicles, but turned around to say one last thing. "Welcome to Southfalls". Did you like this episode? Like Dislike Trivia *This episode is entirely flashbacks, explaining some stuff before the final 4 episodes. *This is the first episode of the entire series where neither Charlie nor Sean appear. **However, both are mentioned. **This is also the first episode since Andy's arrival in season 2 that he doesn't appear. *Deceased characters who make an appearance include: Lilly's brother, Ethan, Jesse, Gordon, Mayor Green, Frank, Dave, Jim. **Lilly and Anya were briefly mentioned. *Joe's wife makes an appearance during Ethan's flashback, buying cocaine off of his cousin. **This supported the fact that Joe said in Answers that his wife bought drugs off of Lilly's brother and died. *Xander's test and background will be further explained in the next episode. *Parts of Jesse, Rachel and Henry's flashbacks come from other episode, except this time shown from their point of view. Category:The Unknown Nightmare Category:The Unknown Nightmare Episodes Category:Issues